Sunday, January 10, 2016

Strategic Approach Toward Golf Game

golfing in Oregon

Seems lately my mentality toward golf
is changing along with the new grip and swing. I've always been
dedicated and believing that I could shoot Par golf and become a
competitive player in the pros, yet I never knew how I was going to
do it until I changed my grip about four months ago. Since, I've been
working mostly on my mental game, tuning my strategic approach toward
my golf game.

This strategy is more of a concept
than a strict guide of rules, although it does contain specific
variables to set as a standard. The point of the strategy is
ultimately to shoot Par or better golf, but focuses more on my
motivation and perception of how I'm playing. Many times I just loose
heart that I can shoot a decent score, after the first disaster hole.
This has to change, and the key to my strategic approach is
perspective.

Standards of Strategic Approach:

Have a Par putt on each hole 10ft
or under

No worse than a Double Bogey

Play smart and within ability,
take risks only when calculated in favor

Play every shot with importance

Having a par putt on each hole 10ft or
under:

This is the main standard I'm thinking
about when I play golf. No matter what the shots look like before the
Par putt, get the ball close for the Par putt. This especially helps
my mentality when I'm scrambling.

Most of the time I'm a scrambling
golfer, and this is what I have to work with. My wedge play under 40
yards is very good, and my putting is decent sometimes very good.
Basically, my short game is a solid part of my golf game.

I think golfers care too much about
having a birdie putt and being on in regulation. Really, we don't
need to be on in regulation to make Par. I don't get discouraged like
before, when I have to punch out to the fairway because of a misplaced
drive. My mentality now is simply to get it on the green with a Par
putt of 10ft and have a good chance for Par. If Par doesn't
come, then bogey isn't too bad.

No Worse Than Double Bogey:

Bogeys will come, and too many of them
start to add up to a big number, but a bogey isn't going to take you
out of a chance to shoot a Par or better round. Being patient and
waiting for the birdies to come, while simply trying to get more pars
than bogeys – is a good formula for low rounds.

Avoid anything worse than a Double
Bogey during an 18 hole round. If we look at our scorecards and do
some data research, we could find on average how many times we make
worse than a d. bogey. Is it every 20 holes? 50 holes?

Paying attention to the frequency of
these scores, will show you what you're facing. Knowing how often
those ugly holes come around will alert you when playing, to remember
that standard. Of course, by making these big scores very rarely, your
game will improve.

You don't want to get d. bogies either,
yet they come with more frequency than you'd probably like. The
double bogey is really the killer of most golfers who break 90 often.
A d. bogey can come by simply misplacing a tee shot and having to
punch out, then three putting the green. It's especially threatening,
when you have a long birdie shot to the green from 100-180y.
Minimizing the d. bogey is key, so paying attention to the frequency
of this score is important too. On average do you get a d. bogey
every 5 holes? 20 holes?

Play smart and within ability, take
risks only when calculated in favor:

This is a fairly general concept, but
very much part of my mental strategy for golf. Knowing my limits will
keep me from the d. bogeys and worse, this is the main way I guard
against those big scores on one hole. Sometimes, it's necessary to
take a risky shot with a low percentage, but most of the time there's a better way to approach a dangerous hole.

The 180-220 yard long shot approaches
are not my strength, even though I have the shot to get those
distances. The problem is accuracy and consistency with those long
shots. For instance, if there is a Par 4 that is 460 yards long, then
I'll play the hole like a Par 5 and try to make birdie (Par), but
if I don't then bogey is a good score there. And double bogey is like
a bogey there, and so on.

When there's a Par 5 with O.B. and
hazards 525 yards long, then hit the hybrid or long iron of the tee
190 yards. With 335 yards left, hit another hybrid or long iron 190,
then have 145 yards left to hit the green with an 8 iron. Basically,
it's not always how far you can hit it, rather using the more
consistent shots you have the most often, for less risk.

Play every shot with importance

This is why I'm going to mostly play in tournament or competitive rounds from now on. This way I get
used to every shot counting, and the incentive to shoot Par golf will
be there to make money and beat other players. Playing every shot
with the same importance will mean you've done your best on the
course. All I can ask of myself is that I try my hardest on every
shot, the outcome will be what it is.

Playing in upcoming tournaments, my
goal is to shoot a respectable score and be within the top 25 of the
field. Maybe the best I can do one day is 87 +15, this happens, but
it doesn't mean I couldn't go back and shoot a 70 -2. The way I can
hit the ball now, I can shoot an under Par round. So, I have to be
patient and make room for this to happen, wait for it.

Conclusion

Having a strategic approach to our
golf game gives us a standard to judge how we're doing. There's
always going to be the unknown variables we have to accept, which will
dictate the final score and results. Our focus is to play the best we
can on each shot with a determined professionalism. Whether we shoot
106 and embarrass ourselves totally, or 68 and dazzle everyone –
the standard remains the same.

I've noticed in golf there are simply
some days that go well and others that don't. Try to gauge those days
and calculate their frequency, the whole point is to know your game.
Really, if I'm not putting well then I won't have a good day score
wise. The short game is where the score really takes form, and
because I scramble so often (12 holes a round average), then I should
be putting a total of:

6 holes GIR 2 putt for 12 putts

12 holes scrambling, 6 one putts and 6
two putts for 18 putts

Total putts: 30

Now, there may be a couple of fringe
putts in there too. When I'm putting well, then I can make birdies
and salvage bad holes. Putting well makes the difference between an
89 and a 78. And if the Driver, hybrids, and Irons are working well,
then this is the money rounds needed to compete. Trying to increase
the frequency of these good rounds is goal.

I've noticed in many of the state wide
professional and amateur competitions, generally there aren't
very many golfers who can shoot low. There are many who can shoot in
the 70's though, the average score is likely 77 or so. The Web.com
and PGA tour for instance, have more people at the top shooting Par
or better.

Basically, shooting a +5 in most
events is a score that will put you in the top 25 of a 70 member
field. Most of the time it would put you in the top 15. To win money
or prizes more than the cost of the tournament, placing in the top 15
is essential. I'm talking about the mini-tours of professional golf,
where an entry fee of $40-$500 can get you in a one to three day
tournament. If you could shoot Par in these events on average, then
you could make money as a professional golfer.

Shooting Par golf is the goal, and the
bogeys have to be minimized and on good days they are canceled out
with birdies. Putting up a formidable round in the 70's is always a
good effort in competition.

Just thought I would share these
thoughts, in 2016 I'm planning on playing in about 8 tournaments.
While I'm still an amateur, I'll play in a few Oregon Golf
Association tournaments, and maybe a Web.com Monday qualifier at the
end of summer. Would have to shoot at least a 3 under to qualify for
Web.com tournament. Should be interesting, I'll write about it all
here.